


A Reason

by morticianwoes



Category: Persona 3
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, How do I tag?, Minako is still the wildcard, Roleswap, Shinjiro is the leader of SEES, arisato twin au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-12 18:22:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19950778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morticianwoes/pseuds/morticianwoes
Summary: A pretty self-explanatory roleswap au.After the accident two years ago, Shinjiro used it as a motive to better himself and train more, eventually becoming the team mother and leader.Minako appears to be a bubbly girl who likes to cut class, but underneath she believes she has no purpose and is just existing until her time is up, whenever that may be.





	1. Chapter 1

_ “That was a tough shadow; you guys must be exhausted! Please come back!” _

Fuuka’s voice reached the team currently trying to catch their breath. She was right. That shadow really had taken a lot out of them.

_ ”Yeah okay, we're heading back now.” _

Shinjiro softly grunted as he stood up straight.  _ ”C’mon guys” _

The three other party members gave their own signs of confirmation as their leader pulled out a traesto gem, sending back to the entrance of Tartarus.

Akihiko was pacing when they arrived, and Shinjito was willing to bet he had been since they arrived at Tartarus in the first place. The second Akihiko opened his mouth, Shinjiro let out an annoyed sigh, knowing what was coming.   
  
_ “You should’ve let me come with, that fight would’ve been over much quicker.” _

They went over this every time they went to Tartarus.   
  
_ “You need to heal first otherwise you’re just gonna get yourself killed. I only let you come with to keep you from whining about being left at the dorm.” _

The boxer opened his mouth to protest but was swiftly cut off by Mitsuru.   
  
_ “Aragaki is right, letting you accompany us would only result in you getting injured further. Besides, Iori and Takeba may not be as strong as you but they’re just as capable.” _

Akihiko grumbled in defeat.

\---

Back at the dorm, Shinjiro lay awake in his room, moonlight illuminating the room softly. The state of SEES has been a growing concern lately. They couldn’t keep going on like this. There were only six of them, including Fuuka. They had faced a huge shadow last full moon and just hardly defeated it. And all of the shadows in Tartarus just kept getting stronger the further they progressed. Mitsuru was strong and always willing to fight. Junpei was always ready to fight but reckless. Yukari could fight, but Shinjiro could sense she was hesitant. And Akihiko, of course, he was almost all brawn no brain, but had gotten injured during the full moon and would probably be recovering for at least a month.

Shinjiro was their leader. He should be doing something about this, but what? He can’t just call off all Tartarus missions. That’d defeat the very purpose of SEES. But what else could he do? Shadows just keep getting stronger, and now the constant looming threat of another one of those huge shadows hung over their heads. It’s his job to keep them safe, but that’s easier said than done. He made a mental note to ask the chairman about any new possible candidates. For now he had to sleep; tomorrow was a school day, and Mitsuru would chew him out if he set a bad example by letting his grades slip.

\----

  
  


_ “What’s so important about this girl anyways? She’s already said no, so why do you all keep asking? We have enough people. We don’t need someone who doesn’t even want to join.” _

The members of SEES were currently all gathered in the control room, as Ikutsuki had agreed that a meeting concerning the future of SEES was necessary. 

Shinjiro mulled over Junpei’s words before shaking his head.   
  
_ “That’s the thing, we don’t have enough people. With Aki out of commission for a while it’s only the four of us, with the shadows' power increasing we’ll end up only being able to go to Tartarus once a week at best. And that isn’t including if another big shadow shows up again.” _

The chairman nodded as the room grew silent once again. Everyone knew their leader was right.   
  
_ “There is one other possible candidate, but that still needs to be worked out. For now, she seems to be our best bet. We have everything set up for her to transfer dorms, she just needs to agree. Could you try talking to her one last time?” _

No one said anything, as everyone could feel the frustration radiating off of Junpei. Finally, he scoffed, lifting himself from the couch he was sitting on and leaving the room.

Shinjiro sighed running a hand over his face. He wasn’t really sure what Junpei was so upset about. It’d be up to him to have a talk with him about it though.

_ “I’ll talk to her on Monday...if she shows up to school, that is.” _

Ikutsuki nodded, a smile finding its way to his face.   
  
_ “I’ll tell you more about this possible candidate once I have more to tell you. And you should all try and relax for the next week. You all seem to be wearing a bit thin.” _

  
  


_ \---- _

Hopefully, Mitsuru won’t kill him for cutting class. In his defence, he had a good reason: he had seen the girl arrive at school, but when he passed her class she was nowhere to be seen. If Shinjiro took away anything from his rough patch of skipping, it was that the roof was the go-to place. He pushed the door open, and instantly his eyes landed on a brunette girl sitting on one of the stone benches. Her expression was hard to place. She didn’t exactly look sad, but she didn’t look fully there either. More like indifferent to her surroundings. 

Feeling a bit awkward he sat on the end of the bench she was on, not wanting to be too close and come off as creepy. Upon closer inspection, he noticed she had a pair of headphones on, her daze still distant. It was strange. Whenever he saw people talking to her, she seemed so cheery. He felt like he was seeing a completely different person.

Without a word, the girl pressed a button on the music player around her neck and removed her headphones, letting them fall against her shirt, dangling from her neck as well. In an instant, it seemed like her whole personality changed. A small, mischievous smile formed on her lips as she turned to Shinjiro.

_ “Are you here to try and convince me to join your group as well?” _

Shinjiro cleared his throat awkwardly. Sure, he was the leader, but that didn’t mean he was good at talking to people.

_ “Not exactly. I have a different offer, actually..” _

This seemed to pique her interest, genuine curiosity lacing her expression.

_ “Oh?” _

_ “I actually came to ask if you’d be willing to move into my dorm temporarily.” _

As that mischievous smile curled more, Shinjiro felt like she was the embodiment of one of those emoticons.

_ “You want  _ me  _ to move into  _ your  _ dorm?” _

Her tone was laced with something Shinjiro couldn’t place. It sounded like she was… Teasing? Him? As soon as he figured out her implications an embarrassed blush formed on his cheeks.

_ “It’s... It's a co-ed dorm.” _

_ “I figured as much since Yukari mentioned the dorm when talking to me. I just wanted to mess with you.” _

Shinjiro coughed and averted his gaze.   
  
_ “Anyways... With your permission, we’d like to move you into the dorm for a month maybe? We won’t make you join us in anything.” _

_ “Is this your way of trying to indirectly convince me to join?” _

_ The response she got was a grunt in confirmation. _

_ “And after a month if I still don’t feel like joining I just move back into my current dorm?” _

She seemed to be weighing her options before suddenly speaking up, catching Shinjiro off guard.

_ “Okay. I’ll move in.” _

Shinjiro had been in the process of standing up, expecting to be asked for time to consider it. He looked at her a bit shocked, then smiled softly.

_ “Alright, Miss Arisato, our chairman will take care of the transfer process, and then you’ll be moved into our dorm.” _

_ “Call me Minako.” _

She stood up and straightened her skirt. Putting on her headphones and resuming her music, she walked to the door and disappeared back inside. Shinjiro could've sworn he saw the whole charismatic facade drop as she walked away. At least now they were one step closer to having a new member joining SEES.


	2. Chapter 2

The new addition to the dorm was a lot less eventful than expected. Minako was a quiet dormmate, spending most of her time in her room. If Shinjiro was being honest with himself, it was a bit concerning. There was more to her than meets the eye. Maybe it was the fact that he was the leader, or maybe he was letting his emotions get ahead of him, but Shinjiro wanted to learn more about her.

Suddenly wincing, he pulled his hand back, inspecting the burn he’d just received. That’s what he gets for getting lost in thought while cooking.

When Junpei had first joined SEES, Shinjiro had made the mistake of demanding to cook dinner when he saw the new recruit eating take out for the third day in a row. Now at least three times a week he was expected to cook. Not that he actually minded. After running his hand under some water and finishing up dinner he called Akihiko in to set the table.

_ “I’m going to get Arisato.” _

Without waiting for a response Shinjiro took off to the stairs. Once he was outside of the room on the third floor he hesitated. Why? Ignoring his own unnecessary emotions he lightly knocked on the door.

_ “It’s Shinjiro.” _

There was some scuffling inside before the door opened and, judging by her expression, she hadn’t expected him. Her hair was still up but she was in a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. A quick glance in her room showed she had been at her desk studying. So that’s what she did in her room all this time. Pulling himself from his thoughts, Shinjiro shoved his hands in his pockets.

“ _ Dinners done. C’mon down and eat with us.” _

A smile formed on her lips but it didn’t hide the shock in her eyes.

_ “I didn’t know we had dinner together.” _

Closing the door behind her, she was nearly toe to toe with Shinjiro, who quickly averted his gaze and took a step back, not waiting to start walking.

_ “We don’t every night...only the nights I make dinner. Which is...often since some of the others demand it.” _

_ “Oh, you cook? I would’ve never guessed!” _

Shinjiro scrunched his nose a bit.

_ “That’s sort of the point, but everyone here knows already.” _

He hadn’t dared to look at her again, but the sound of her soft laugh made heat rise to his face. Damn. It was unavoidable, her finding out, but it didn’t spare him any embarrassment.

In the dining area, they took their seats. Some people had already begun eating, while some others had the manners to wait until everyone had joined. There was normal chatter amongst the group before the elephant in the room finally was addressed. By Akihiko, naturally.

_ “So Shinji of all people convinced you to join? I thought Yukari or Mitsuru would’ve been who got through to you.” _

Shinjiro was now very interested in what his plate looked like.

_ “I just liked his offer.” _ Minako shrugged.  _ “I don’t really mind moving around, and thought maybe it would be interesting.” _

Suddenly remembering the decision he had made regarding their next Tartarus run, Shinjiro cleared his throat.

_ ”In two days we’re going to go to Tartarus, so make sure to rest before then.” _

His eyes landed on Minako.

”You won't be going in with us, but we can't leave you here alone during the dark hour. You'll come to the entrance and stay with Aki and Fuuka. Is that okay?”

As she was going to respond, a loud ”ugh” across the table interrupted her.

_ ”Why is she even here? She isn't a part of SEES. She said so herself, so why is she coming with?” _

Junpei was staring Minako down, practically glaring daggers at her.

_ ”We shouldn't even be talking about it around her.” _

With a frustrated huff, the thin boy stood up and walked away from the table. The entire atmosphere had shifted now. Sighing, Shinjiro stood up. He should've expected this.

_ ”I’m going to talk to him.” _

Without another word, he left after Junpei.

Yukari rolled her eyes and smiled sympathetically at Minako.

_ ”Don’t listen to Junpei. He has a fragile boy ego, but no one else thinks that. I’m actually excited to have you around.” _

Minako nodded and returned the smile, the distant look in her eye going unnoticed by the others.

\-----

  
  


The steady stream of sticky liquid running down Shinjiro’s face was his first indicator something had gone terribly wrong. He remembered arriving at Tartarus. Making sure Minako was okay with staying back with Aki and Fuuka. The first few floors went okay… Fuuka warned them there was a stronger presence above them…

They weren’t prepared. Straining to lift his head he found his teammates all scattered on the floor. They all looked unconscious. And now he couldn’t even lift himself off the floor.

This was all his fault.

He knew they weren’t ready, he knew they should’ve turned back.

Trying to push himself off the floor resulted in him slumping back down. He was extremely light-headed. His movement must’ve caught the Shadow’s attention, and the pressure of it staring him down was unbearable. But as long as it was focused on killing him instead of his friends…

The sound of it approaching him should’ve been the only thing he heard, but through it Shinjiro could’ve sworn he heard running footsteps.

If he made it out of this alive he was going to kill Akihiko. If the shadow didn’t beat him to it.

Attempting to lift his head only granted him immense dizziness. He could only listen as the footsteps stopped a bit ahead of him, only catching one last thing before he lost consciousness.

_ “Orpheus!” _

**Author's Note:**

> This'll be my first serious attempt at a multi-chapter story.   
> Special thanks to my beta reader Nemesissy! Without them I would've never been able to really commit to this idea.


End file.
